Schumer wants money released for Oswego Harbor dredging

Oswego, NY -- A bill is moving through Congress that would free up money to continue the dredging of Oswego Harbor.

This is part of the Harbor Maintenance Act being pushed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer said Wednesday the bill would “free up badly needed funds that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must have in order to dredge the port and that are essential to keeping the port open for business.”

Port of Oswego Executive Director Jonathan Daniels said the money is there, but it needs to be released so needed dredging can be done. He said the depth along the piers is fine, but some approaches to the harbor are not deep enough for some vessels.

“We have $1.8 million in dredging that needs to be done,” Daniels said. “And how much is in the president’s budget for us? Nothing. But there’s $6 billion in the Harbor Maintenance Fund and we need that released for dredging.”

“Every day, sediment is piling up in the Port of Oswego, while money piles up in Washington that is supposed to be used to solve this problem,” Schumer said.

Daniels said the harbor needs to be at least 28 feet 6 inches deep to accommodate all vessels that come in. Right now, some of the areas are only 24 feet to 25 feet deep. Sediment deposits at the bottom of the lake constantly change its depth.

In 2011, Daniels reported he port impacts the area with $38 million in business revenue. The port also supports 500 jobs with about $42 million in personal income and salaries. The port spends about $10 million locally on goods and materials it needs and also pays about $12.5 million in taxes into federal, state and local coffers.

There also are 7,000 jobs supported by manufacturing businesses that deal directly with the port. And the manufacturing output of these businesses is about $1.3 billion a year.

“The Port of Oswego is an economic engine and job-generator for the region and we must keep it operating at peak efficiency,” Schumer said. “That is why I am pushing for the Harbor Maintenance Act to be attached as an amendment to the key Surface Transportation Bill. If passed, this legislation will ensure we have the funds to dredge New York’s federal ports.”